AEW's Jim Ross Says WWE Hiring This Ex-WCW Star A 'No-Brainer'

It seems no matter where their careers take them, Paul Wight and Jim Ross always find themselves in the same spot. The duo are currently in AEW, with Ross working as a commentator and Wight as a producer/occasional onscreen performer, 26 years removed from when Ross was instrumental in getting Wight to leave WCW and sign with WWE. That, as it turns out, was the easy part of what was to come.

Discussing Wight's defection from WCW to WWE on "Grilling JR," Ross talked about how he and Jerry Briscoe were the point men in negotiating with Wight. He referred to WWE's signing of the former "Giant" as a no-brainer, but also admitted that there were concerns about Wight when he first arrived on the scene.

"The only issues that I can say that he had, as I've mentioned earlier, was his weight," Ross said. "Keeping him in shape, it was kind of like Luka [Doncic]. How great can you be? Well, you can be really great if you're in shape, if you're in game shape. And I think that's what we strived to accomplish, was to make sure he was in shape. Because he did have trouble with his weight, and that was problematic."

At least at first, Ross says that Wight did have his weight under control, and also noted that WWE Chairman Vince McMahon appeared to have big plans for him. But despite Wight's good first impression and the priority WWE made in signing him, Ross doesn't believe the promotion put a strong foot forward in having Wight meet McMahon's lofty expectations.

"Vince envisioned Paul Wight as the next Andre the Giant," Ross said. "But unfortunately, Big Show was not booked like Andre the Giant. He was booked like another wrestler. Just a big guy."

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "Grilling JR" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription